She said: "Found this in my garden this morning. Luckily I saw it before my son did. They also tried to steal my fuel but failed without the key. Does anyone know of a safe way to dispose of it without having to touch it?"

The post gained a lot of attention from people who shared stories of similar incidents and those also giving advice on what to do.

Some people suggested putting gloves on to move it, others said to put it in a Milo tin or water bottle and others suggested calling the police.

Toowoomba police acting sergeant Brett Winnett said the main thing to do when coming across a syringe was to look after your own safety.

Jennifer Hopton found a syringe in her garden.

"We often go out and are able to dispose of them using a sharps container. It's a container that the needle can't get through. If you just put it in an ordinary container and throw it in the bin the poor people at the tip could get pricked," he said.

He said, alternatively, hospitals had sharps containers and a place to dispose of the syringes.

"If you are safely able to get it to a facility that is another option but we don't want people risking themselves because people use syringes for a purpose - for injecting drugs, so we are able to come out to your property for you."